UCSB   LIBRARY 


CHILD    ASSISTED 

IN 

GIVING  THE  HEART  TO  GOD. 


"  Whom  shall  he  teach  knowledge  ?  and  whom  shall  he  make  to 
understand  doctrine?  Them  that  are  weaned  from  the  milk,  and 
drawn  from  the  breasts. 

"  For  precept  must  be  upon  precept,  precept  upon  precept ;  line 
upon  line,  line  upon  line  ;   here  a  little,  and  there  a  little." 

Is.  28  :  9,  10. 


By   CALEB    KIMBALL, 

ACTHOH    OF    "the    T0U?JG    CHRISTIA>-    DIRECTED,"    "  THE    HOLT 
SPIRIT    RESISTED,"    &.C.  &uC. 


Written  for  Oie  MaseachusetU  Sabba'Ji  School  Society 
revUed  by  the  CommitUe  of  Publication. 


THIRTEEXTH    EDITION. 


BOSTON: 

MASSACHUSETTS  SABBATH  SCHOOL  SOCIETY, 
Depositobv,  jVo.  13  Corichill. 

1851. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year   1847, 
Bt  Christofheb  C.  Dean, 
[n  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


STEREOTYPED    AT   THE 
BOSTOIV    TYPE    AHD    STEREOTYPE    FOUITDBr. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGE. 

Deliberation  essential  in  giving  the  Heart  to  God.  5 

CHAPTER    II. 
Love  essential  in  giving  the  Heart  to  God.    .     .  15 

CHAPTER    III. 

Penitence  essential  in  giving  the  Heart  to  God.     19 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Humility  essential  in  giving  the  Heart  to  God.      27 

CHAPTER    V. 

Faith  essential  in  giving  the  Heart  to  God.     .     35 

CHAPTER    VL 

The  Heart  must  be  surrendered  to  God  joyfully, 

and  with  a  full  Consent 48 

CHAPTER    VII. 

The  Heart  must  be  surrendered  to  God  for  Eter- 
nity  57 


CHILD   ASSISTED, 

&c. 


CHAPTER     I. 

DELIBERATION       ESSENTIAL       IN       GIVING 
THE     HEART     TO     GOD. 

Some  years  ago,  two  little  girls  came 
into  my  room  weeping;  and,  as  they 
appeared  to  be  in  great  trouble,  I 
asked  them  why  they  wept  and  looked 
so  sad.  They  replied  that  they  w^ere 
sinners,  and  wished  to  know  what 
they  should  do  to  be  saved.  I  was 
glad  to  find  that  this  was  the  cause  of 
their  trouble,  and  told  them  that  they 
must   repent,    and    believe    in    Christ, 


A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

and  give  their  hearts  to  God  immedi- 
ately. But  as  they  were  children,  and 
did  not  clearly  understand  what  was 
meant  by  giving  the  heart  to  God, 
they  desired  me  to  explain  it  to  them 
in  language  so  simple  that  they  could 
comprehend  it,  for  they  wanted  to  do 
it  immediately,  and  be  pardoned  and 
saved.  I  felt  that  this  was  a  moment 
of  great  interest  to  these  children,  and 
therefore  pointed  out  to  them,  as  clear- 
ly as  I  could,  what  they  must  do ;  and 
then,  having  urged  them  to  submit  at 
once  to  Christ,  I  commended  them  to 
God  in  prayer,  and  they  left  the  room. 
Shortly  after,  both  of  them,  as  they 
hoped,  were  enabled  to  give  their 
hearts  to  the  Saviour,  and  found  peace 
in  believing.  They  appeared  humble 
and  penitent,  their  tears  of  sorrow 
were  wiped  away,  and  their  sadness 
was  exchanged  for  songs  of  deliverance. 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.  7 

After  some  months  for  self-examina- 
tion and  prayer,  these  dear  cliildren 
were  received  into  the  visible  church, 
and  have  since,  I  believe,  adorned  their 
profession  by  a  life  of  humble  piety. 
Thinking  it  possible  that  some  other 
children  might  wish  to  know  how  they 
may  give  their  hearts  to  God,  so  as  to 
be  accepted  of  him,  and  be  pardoned 
and  saved,  1  have  thought  proper  to 
point  out  the  way  in  this  little  book, 
hoping  that  it  may  assist  some  young 
but  anxious  mind,  in  making  the  final 
surrender  to  Christ. 

In  Prov.  23 :  26,  we  read,  "My  son, 
give  me  thine  heart,"  and  in  Rom.  6 : 
l5,  "Yield  yourselves  unto  God."  From 
these  two  commands,  I  infer  that  it  is 
the  duty  of  every  sinner  immediately 
to  give  his  heart  to  God. 

The  heart  is  that  part  of  us  which 
loves,   hates,  and   desires;  and  as  the 


8  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

affections  of  the  heart  control  the  other 
powers  of  the  soul,  if  the  heart  be  right, 
the  mind  will  be  right  also,  and  tiie 
thoughts  and  actions  will  take  a  right 
direction.  If  we  love  God  with  all  the 
heart,  we  shall  delight  to  think  about 
him  every  day,  and  pray  to  him,  and 
shall  strive  to  please  him  in  all  our 
pursuits.  If  we  love  Christ  with  all 
the  heart,  we  shall  take  pleasure  in 
thinking  of  him  also,  who  he  is,  and 
what  he  has  done ;  how  he  came  down 
from  heaven,  suffered  and  died  upon 
the  cross  to  save  us,  rose  again  the 
third  day,  and  ascended  up  to  heaven, 
and  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  God, 
where  he  ever  liveth  to  make  interces- 
sion for  us.  You  see,  therefore,  that 
the  heart  controls  the  mind :  if  the 
heart  be  holy,  the  thoughts  will  be 
employed  upon  holy  and  heavenly  ob- 
jects.     As,  then,  the  affections  of  the 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD. 


heart  control  the  other  powers  of  the 
soul,  when  we  give  up  our  hearts  to 
God,  we  give  up  our  entire  selves  to 
him,  to  love  and  serve  him  forever ; 
to  be  governed  by  him,  to  obey  his 
commands,  and  to  honor  and  glorify 
him  in  all  we  do. 

And  now,  my  dear  child,  if  you  will 
follow  me  in  a  few  simple  thoughts,  I 
will,  with  divine  assistance,  attempt  to 
show  you  how  you  may  give  your 
heart  to  God,  so  as  to  be  accepted  of 
him,  be  pardoned  and  saved,  and  live 
happily  with  him  in  heaven  forever. 
And  here  let  me  remark,  once  for  all, 
that,  in  making  the  final  surrender  of 
yourself  to  God,  you  must  rely  for 
assistance  upon  the  enlightening  and 
subduing  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  seek  this  influence  in  constant, 
humble,  and  fervent  prayer.  God,  your 
heavenly    Father,   says   to   you,    "  My 


10  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

son,  my  daughter,  give  me  thine 
heart."  But  do  you  ask,  How  shall  I 
do  it?     1  reply, — 

1.    You  must  give  your  heart  to  God 
deliberate!}/. 

When  men  are  about  to  undertake 
some  great  work,  as  the  building  of  a 
meeting-house,  a  great  ship,  or  a  rail- 
road, they  think  about  it,  draw  their 
plan,  and  calculate  how  much  it^  wiFT' 
cost.  Now  giving  the  heart  to  Goa  is 
a  great  and  important  work ;  it  de- 
serves your  most  serious  and  careful 
attention  ;  it  will  affect  you  for  a  whole 
e  tern  it  V.  If  this  work  be  done  riirht, 
you  will  be  saved;  but,  if  neglected, 
you  will  be  lost  forever.  Do  you  wish 
to  know  what  it  will  cost  to  give  your 
heart  to  God  ?  If  you  will  listen  at- 
tentively, I  will  tell  you.  In  giving 
your  heart  to  God,  you  must  give 
up    all    your     sins;     your    pride,    your 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.          11 

vain  amusements  and  sinful  pleasures. 
You  must  carefully  suppress  all  sinful 
thoughts  and  feelings ;  you  must  not 
get  angry ;  nor  speak  wicked  words ; 
nor  lie ;  nor  steal ;  nor  play,  nor  work 
unnecessarily,  on  the  Sabbath.  You 
must  hate  and  forsake  all  your  sins, 
because  they  are  wrong  and  displeas- 
ing to  God.  You  must  love  and  obey 
Christ,  because  he  is  good  and  holy, 
arid  because  he  came  into  this  world, 
suffered  and  died  upon  the  cross  to 
save  you,  and  now  lives  in  heaven  to 
plead  your  cause  at  the  right  hand  of 
God.  You  must  love  and  obey  the 
Bible,  and  read  it  every  day,  because 
it  is  the  Word  of  God,  and  tells  you 
all  you  need  to  know  about  heaven  and 
hell,  God  and  Christ,  holy  beings  and 
holy  things,  and  because  it  tells  you 
what   you    are,    and    whither    you   are 


12  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

going,  and  how  you  must  feel  and  act 
so  as  to  please  God  and  go  to  heaven. 
You  must  pray  daily  in  your  closet ; 
and,  when  you  pray,  confess  your  sins 
with  a  broken  heart,  and  thank  God 
for  his  mercies.  You  must  be  kind 
and  gentle  to  all,  love  and  obey  your 
parents,  love  your  neighbor  as  your- 
self, and  love  and  pray  for  your  ene- 
mies. These  are  some  of  the  great 
and  good  things  which  you  will  do  if 
you  give  your  heart  to  God.  You  see, 
then,  that  doing  this  great  work  will 
cost  you  no  money,  nor  the  loss  of 
health  or  comfort,  nor  any  real  good. 
You  will  only  lose  your  sins,  and  the 
misery  which  they  occasion  ;  and  from 
these,  surely,  you  would  most  gladly 
be  free.  And  what  will  you  gain  by 
giving  your  heart  to  God  ?  All  the 
blessings   which    you    can     reasonably 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         13 

desire.  Shall  I  mention  some  of  them  ? 
You  will  gain  a  new  heart  and  a  right 
spirit,  the  full  pardon  of  all  your  sins, 
peace  of  conscience,  and  delight  in 
prayer  and  praise.  You  will  gain  the 
favor  of  God,  the  love  of  Jesus,  a  hope 
full  of  immortality,  humility,  holy  love, 
joy  in  believing,  peace  and  triumph  in 
death,  acquittal  in  judgment,  and  a 
dwelling-place  in  heaven  forever.  And 
when  you  enter  that  holy  habitation, 
and  shall  see  God  in  his  glory,  and  the 
Saviour,  in  all  his  infinite  holiness,  at 
his  Father's  right  hand ;  when  you 
shall  see  the  holy  angels  in  all  their 
heavenly  beauty,  and  shall  gaze  upon 
patriarchs  and  prophets,  apostles  and 
martyrs,  with  their  crowns  of  life,  their 
robes  of  holiness,  and  their  harps  of 
gold,  and  all  of  them  singing  the  glad 
hosannas  of  the  redeemed ;  and  when 
you    yourself    shall    be    perfectly   holy 


14  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

and  happy,  and  be  filled  with  unspeak- 
able joy  and  praise, — you  will  then 
know,  as  you  never  can  before,  what 
heaven  is,  and  what  a  blessed  thing  it 
is  to  be  entirely  the  Lord's. 

And  now,  my  dear  child,  in  view 
of  a  habitation  so  splendid,  a  God  so 
glorious,  a  Saviour  so  exalted,  a  wor- 
ship so  divine,  companions  so  pure,  so 
harmonious,  so  celestial,  will  you  not 
now  make  up  your  mind,  calmly  and 
deliberately,  to  give  your  heart  to 
God? 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.  15 


CHAPTER     II. 

LOVE    ESSENTIAL    IN    GIVING    THE    HEART 
TO    GOD. 

"Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind." 
—  Matt  22:  37. 

"God  is  love;  and  he  that  dwelleth  in  love  dwell- 
eth  in  God,  and  God  in  him."  —  1  John,  4:  16. 

In  pointing  out  still  further  the  way 
of  life,  I  remark  again  that  you  must 
give  your  heart  to  God  affectionately, 
God  is  love ;  and  you  must  give  up 
yourself  to  him  in  pure,  filial  affection, 
and  love  him  with  all  the  heart. 

Perhaps  you  will  get  a  clearer  idea 
of  this,  if  I  illustrate  it  by  the  follow- 
ing incident.  Soon  after  I  awoke  one 
morning,  I  heard  the  cry  of  fire ;  and 


16  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

on  inquiring  where  it  was,  1  ascer- 
tained that  the  house  of  a  very  excel- 
lent member  of  my  church  was  in 
flames.  This  man  had  two  lovely  little 
children ;  and,  when  he  discovered  that 
his  house  was  on  lire,  he  thought  of  his 
little  ones,  who  at  that  moment  were 
aroused  by  the  flames,  and  began  to 
cry  bitterly  for  relief.  He  rushed  into 
the  room,  which  was  then  filled  with 
smoke,  and  found  that  the  fire  had 
already  caught  the  bed  on  which  his 
children  were  lying.  With  much  dif- 
ficulty he  reached  the  bed ;  and  when 
those  children  heard  the  kind  voice  of 
their  father,  and  felt  his  arms  around 
them,  they  leaped  into  his  bosom,  and 
clunor  to  him  with  the  most  ardent 
afiection,  until  he  had  conveyed  them 
to  a  place  of  safety. 

You  see  now  what  it  is  to  give  your 
heart    to    God    affectionately.      Those 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         17 

children  were  in  imminent  danger,  and 
had  they  not  been  rescued,  they  must 
in  a  few  moments  have  been  consumed. 
You  also  are  in  imminent  danger,  for 
you  are  a  sinner,  and  may  die  at  any 
moment  and  lose  your  soul.  Those 
children  cried  for  help,  and  so  must 
you.  Their  kind  father  heard  their 
cries,  and  came  to  their  relief.  In  like 
manner,  God,  your  kind  and  heavenly 
Father  will  hear  your  penitential  cries, 
and  come  to  your  relief.  Those  chil- 
dren cast  themselves  most  affection- 
ately into  their  father's  arms ;  they 
rested  their  affectionate  hearts  upon 
his  bosom  and  were  saved,  and  I  pre- 
sume, loved  him  more  dearly  than  ever 
before.  You,  also,  relying  upon  the 
assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  must  cast 
yourself,  as  a  poor,  dying  sinner,  most 
ajBfectionately,  into  your  heavenly  Fa- 
ther's arms,  and  rest  for  salvation  upon 


18  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 


the  bosom  of  his  everlasting  love.  And 
now,  my  child,  will  jou  do  it?  Will 
you,  in  filial  love,  give  your  heart  to 
God  ?  Will  you  do  it  now  ?  Think 
a  moment  who  God  is ;  how  great  and 
kind,  how  holy  and  good.  He  crea- 
ted you  and  supports  your  being.  He 
gives  you  food  and  clothes,  rain  and 
sunshine,  parents  and  friends  to  take 
care  of  you,  and  a  house  to  dwell  in. 
He  has  given  you  his  holy  Bible  and 
holy  Sabbath,  his  own  dear  Son  to  die 
for  you,  and  his  Holy  Spirit  to  renew 
and  sanctify  your  heart.  O  what  a 
God  he  is !  A  God  of  love  !  This  God, 
your  Father  in  heaven,  says  to  you, 
"  My  son,  give  me  thine  heart."  Have 
you  done  it  ?  Will  you  do  it,  in  love, 
every  day?  If  so,  I  will  proceed  and 
point  out  another  important  particular 
in  the  work  of  giving  yourself  to  God 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         19 


CHAPTER      III. 

PENITENCE     ESSENTIAL     IN     GIVING     THE 
HEART    TO    GOD. 


"The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit;  a 
broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not 
despise."  — Ps.  51:  17. 

"God  be  merciful  to  me  a  smner."  —  Luke,  18:  13. 


In  dedicating  yourself  acceptably  to 
God,  I  remark,  once  more,  that  you 
must  give  up  your  heart  to  him  peni- 
tently. Penitence  is  contrition,  or 
sincere  and  deep  sorrow  of  heart  in 
view  of  sin  committed,  seen  and  felt. 
Look  at  Peter  after  he  denied  his  Lord. 
He  saw  and  felt  his  sins,  and  wept  bit- 
terly. His  heart  was  filled  with  godly 
sorrow,  because  he  had  done  wrong, 
because  he  had  offended  God  and  dis- 


20  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IS 

honored  and  grieved  his  kmd  and 
gracious  Saviour  by  ungratefully  deny- 
ing him  with  curses  and  bitter  oaths. 
With  these  penitent  feelings,  he  cast 
himself  entirely  upon  the  mercy  of 
God  in  Christ,  and  was  immediately 
pardoned.  Look  at  the  publican,  who 
was  also  a  great  sinner.  He  felt  the 
burden  of  his  guilt  so  much,  that  he 
could  not  look  up  to  heaven,  but  smote 
upon  his  breast,  saying,  God  be  mer- 
ciful to  me  a  sinner.  As  soon  as  he 
gave  himself  to  God  with  these  peni- 
tential feelings,  the  burden  of  his  guilt 
disappeared,  and  he  went  down  to  his 
house  a  pardoned,  justified  sinner. 
These  are  examples  of  true  penitence, 
and  we  may  therefore  safely  follow 
them.  You  see  now  how  these  men 
gave  their  hearts  to  God;  they  did  it 
penitently,  and  received  at  once  a  full 
and  free  forgiveness.     Some   time    ago 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         21 

a  lovely  youth  entered  my  room,  and, 
sitting  down  by  my  side,  said  to  me, 
with  much  seriousness,  "  I  am  a  sin- 
ner.'^ "But  what  have  you  done  ?"  "  I 
have  spoken  wicked  words."  "And 
what  else  ?  "  "  I  have  disobeyed  my 
parents."  "  And  what  else  ?  "  "  I  have 
not  believed  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  I  ought ; 
and  this,"  continued  he,  "  is  the  w^orst 
of  all."  This  dear  youth  was  not 
ashamed  to  confess  his  sins  to  me ;  and 
then,  kneeling  down  by  my  side,  in  a 
very  simple  but  humble  manner,  he 
confessed  his  sins  to  God.  I  trust  that 
he  penitently  gave  his  heart  to  his 
heavenly  Father,  and  became  a  child 
of  God.  And  now^,  my  dear  child,  I 
want  you  to  see  and  to  feel  as  Peter 
and  the  publican  did,  and  as  that  be- 
loved youth  did,  that  you  are  a  great 
sinner.  Pride  is  sin  ;  and  you  have 
much  of  that.      Wicked    thoughts  and 


22  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

feelings  are  sins  ;  and  you  have  some  of 
them.  Vain  and  idle  words  are  sins  ; 
and  you  have  spoken  some  of  them. 
Anger  is  sin  ;  and  have  you  never  been 
angry  ?  Disobedience  to  parents  is 
sin ;  and  have  you  never  disobeyed 
your  parents  ?  Playing  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  neglecting  to  pray  every  day 
in  your  closet,  are  sins;  and  have  you 
not  been  guilty  of  these  ?  But  you 
have  not  loved  God  vi^ith  all  the  heart ; 
that  is  sin.  And  there  is  another  sin 
that  you  have  committed,  which  is  per- 
haps the  greatest  of  all ;  you  have  not 
believed  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
our  Saviour  says,  "  he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned."  This  great  sin 
of  unbelief  you  have  committed  every 
moment,  when  you  have  been  awake, 
since  the  time  you  were  capable  of  un- 
derstanding the  Saviour's  character, 
and   your  obligations  to  love  and  obey 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         23 

him.  O,  my  child,  you  are  a  great 
sinner !  Your  sins  are  very  numer- 
ous. Your  heart  is  exceedingly  wick- 
ed. And  do  you  now  ask,  "  What  shall 
I  do  ?  "  I  reply,  do  as  Peter  and  the 
publican  did :  confess  your  sins  to  God 
with  a  broken  and  contrite  heart ; 
mourn  over  them  with  sincere  and 
deep  godly  sorrow  because  they  are 
wrong,  and  hate  and  forsake  them 
because  they  are  displeasing  in  the 
sight  of  God. 

An  inspired  writer  has  told  us  that 
''  whoso  confesseth  and  forsake th  his 
sins,  shall  have  mercy."  "  If  we  con- 
fess our  sins,"  says  the  apostle  John, 
**  he  (God)  is  faithful  and  just  to  for- 
give us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from 
all  unrighteousness."  But,  do  you  ask 
again,  "  Will  God  receive  my  wicked 
heart?"  O  yes,  my  child,  he  will 
gladly  receive   it,  if,  with    the  feelings 


24  A     CHILD    ASSISTED     IN 

of  the  dying  thief,  you  can  say,  "  Lord, 
remember  me."  He  took  Peter's  heart, 
and  the  publican's  heart,  and  the  heart 
of  Saul  of  Tarsus,  and  washed  them 
from  all  their  pollution,  and  made  them 
pure  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  And 
now,  if  upon  your  knees  before  God, 
you  can  heartily  say  with  the  prophet, 
"  Behold  I  am  vile ;  "  and  with  the 
prodigal,  "  Father,  I  have  sinned 
against  heaven  and  in  thy  sight ; "  and 
with  David,  "  Have  mercy  upon  me, 
O  God,  according  to  thy  loving  kind- 
ness, and  according  to  the  multitude 
of  thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out  my 
transgressions,  wash  me  thoroughly 
from  mine  iniquities,  and  cleanse  me 
from  my  sins,"  —  God  will  take  your 
heart,  and  purge  away  its  guilt,  and 
make  of  it  a  new  heart,  a  heart  to 
praise  and  pray,  and  fill  it  with  joy 
and  peace  in  believing,  and  give  you  a 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         25 

place  in  his  holy  family,  a  mansion  in 
his  upper  kingdom,  and  a  seat  at  his 
right  hand  for  evermore. 

The  penitent  thief  received  forgive- 
ness, the  weeping  Peter  obtained  par- 
don, and  the  returning  prodigal  was 
admitted  to  his  father's  house.  It  is 
said  of  Judas  that  he  repented,  but  it 
is  not  said  that  he  was  contrite  for  sin. 
A  penitent  heart  is  an  object  in  which 
God  has  peculiar  delight.  With  con- 
trite ones  he  loves  to  dwell.  "  A 
broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God, 
thou  wilt  not  despise."  "To  this 
man  will  I  look,"  saith  Jehovah, 
"even  to  him  that  is  poor,  and  of  a 
contrite  spirit,  and  that  trembleth  at 
my  word."  And  now,  my  child,  have 
you  given  up  your  heart  penitently  to 
God  ?     Can  you  say,  — 

"Here's  my  heart,  O  take  and  seal  it, 
Seal  it  for  thy  courts  above"  ? 


26  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

Think  a  moment.  Can  you  weep  and 
mourn  over  sin,  as  the  woman  did  at 
the  feet  of  Jesus  ?  And  will  you 
cherish  such  feelings  every  day  ?  If 
so,  I  will  proceed,  and  point  out  an- 
other important  particular  in  this  great 
work  of  giving  up  ourselves  to  God. 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         27 


CHAPTER     IV. 

HUxAIILITY      ESSENTIAL      IN      GIVING      THE 
HEART     TO     GOD. 

"  For  thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  that  inhab- 
iteth  eternity,  whose  name  is  Holy;  I  dwell  in  tlie 
high  and  holy  place,  with  him  also  that  is  of  a  con- 
trite and  humble  spirit,  to  revive  the  spirit  of  the 
humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the  contrite  ones." 
—  Is.  57:  15. 

"Though  the  Lord  be  high,  yet  hath  he  respect 
unto  the  lowly."— Ps.  138:  6. 

I  REMARK,  as  a  fourth  particular,  that 
jou  must  give  up  your  heart  to  God, 
ivith  humility.  Although  penitence  and 
humility  are  closely  connected  in  the 
v^^ork  of  salvation,  I  have  preferred  to 
speak  of  them  separately,  that  you  may 
see  more  clearly  their  distinctive  and 
peculiar  features.  Penitence  is  not 
humility,    nor   humility   penitence,    and 


28  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

yet  they  are  inseparably  connected  in 
the  act  of  giving  the  heart  to  God. 
Our  Saviour,  while  on  earth,  was  a 
pattern  of  perfect  humility.  To  bur- 
dened sinners,  he  says,  ^'  Learn  of  me, 
for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and 
ye  shall  find  rest  to  your  souls."  In 
heaven,  humility  reigns  in  all  its  love- 
liness ;  saints  and  angels  are  perfectly 
humble.  Should  a  proud  feeling  enter 
their  hearts,  they  would  be  banished 
immediately  from  their  blissful  habita- 
tion. Pride  is  probably  the  sin  for 
which  the  fallen  angels  were  cast  out 
of  heaven,  and  confined  in  everlasting 
chains  of  darkness  unto  the  judgment 
of  the  great  day.  Before  you  enter 
heaven,  therefore,  you  must  be  per- 
fectly humble  ;  for  a  proud  heart  can 
never  dwell  in  that  holy  habitation. 
Pride  is  exceedingly  hateful  in  the 
sight   of    God.      "  God    resisteth     the 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         29 

proud."  "  The  proud  he  knoweth 
afar  off."  If,  then,  jou  cherish  a 
hauglity  spirit,  God  will  resist  jou, 
and  withhold  from  jou  liis  pardoning 
grace.  But  do  jou  ask  how  hum- 
ble JOU  must  be  in  order  to  give 
jour  heart  to  God  acceptablj  ?  I 
replj,  that  jou  must  be  humble 
enough  to  fall  upon  jour  knees,  and 
confess  freelj  jour  sins  to  God,  ac- 
knowledging that  jou  are  wretched, 
and  miserable,  and  poor,  and  blind, 
and  naked.  You  must  be  so  humble, 
that  JOU  will  not  be  ashamed  of 
Christ,  or  his  religion;  so  humble,  that 
JOU  will  not  be  afraid  or  ashamed  to 
have  jour  joung  companions  and  the 
world  know  that  jou  have  decided  to 
be  a  follower  of  Jesus.  You  must,  in 
a  word,  be  humble  enough  to  bow  to 
Christ  and  jield  jourself  unto  God. 
This    is    a    point  of  great    importance. 

3* 


so  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

Vast  multitudes  fail  of  heaven,  because 
they  are  too  proud  to  follow  the  Sa- 
viour ill  that  holy  way  which  leads  to 
it.  In  giving  your  heart  to  God,  then, 
lie  low  in  the  dust  of  humiliation  before 
him,  feeling  deeply  your  unworthiness, 
and  remembering,  for  your  encourage- 
ment, that  he  giveth  grace  to  the  hum- 
ble. I  have  never  yet  seen  a  sinner 
too  humble,  nor  a  saint  too  lowly.  Be 
clothed  with  humility;  for  he  that 
humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted.  I 
once  asked  a  young  man  if  he  was 
willing  to  kneel  down  with  me,  while 
I  commended  him  to  God  in  prayer 
His  proud  heart  rose  against  it.  He 
despised  the  act,  and  would  neither 
bow  nor  pray,  though  he  should  gain 
heaven  by  doing  it.  I  assured  him 
that  there  was  no  merit  or  religion  in 
kneeling,  but  that  a  humble  posture 
and    a   lowly    heart   became    a    sinner, 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         31 

when,  as  a  guilty  supplicant,  he  asked 
for  divine  mercy.  God  abhorred  his 
pride,  and  at  this  time  accepted 
neither  his  person  nor  offering.  Some 
time  after,  I  found  this  young  man  in 
a  very  different  state  of  mind.  The 
Holy  Ghost  had  discovered  to  him  his 
guilt ;  and  being  asked  to  pray,  he  fell 
upon  his  knees,  and  in  a  strain  of  hum- 
ble confession  and  entreaty,  he  be- 
sought the  Lord  to  have  mercy  upon 
him.  Now  the  pride  of  his  heart  was 
broken  down,  and  he  was  not  ashamed 
to  confess  his  sins  or  acknowledge 
Christ  as  his  Saviour.  He  was  not 
afraid  nor  ashamed  to  have  his  com- 
panions and  the  world  know  that  he 
was  asking  the  way  to  Zion.  In  his 
lowliness,  as  he  hoped,  he  gave  his 
heart  to  God;  and  God  accepted  it, 
and  gave  him  the  consolations  of  par- 
don, and  he  became  a  man  of  prayer. 


32  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 


"Though  the  Lord  be  high,"  says  the 
Psalmist,  "  jet  hath  he  respect  unto 
the  lowly." 

And  now,  that  you  may  have  dis- 
tinctly before  your  mind  a  most  beau- 
tiful and  impressive  illustration  of 
penitence  and  humility  combined, 
look  at  the  woman  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus.  "  And  behold  a  woman  in 
the  city,  which  was  a  sinner,  when  she 
knew  that  Jesus  sat  at  meat  in  the 
Pharisee's  house,  brought  an  alabaster 
box  of  ointment,  and  stood  at  his  feet 
behind  him,  weeping,  and  began  to 
wash  his  feet  with  tears,  and  did  w^ipe 
them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head,  and 
kissed  his  feet,  and  anointed  them 
with  the  ointment."  Luke  7 :  37,  38. 
This  woman  was  a  great  sinner,  for 
the  Saviour  says,  her  sins  were  many. 
She  was  a  penitent  sinner,  for  the 
Saviour   says    that   her   sins   were   for- 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         33 

given.  She  was  an  humble  penitent, 
for  she  did  what  a  proud  heart  would 
scorn  to  do:  she  stood  behind  the 
Saviour,  at  his  feet,  weeping,  and 
washed  his  feet  with  tears,  and  wiped 
them  with  the  hairs  of  her  head,  and 
kissed  his  feet  in  the  ardor  of  her 
affection,  and,  as  an  act  of  kindness, 
anointed  them  with  the  ointment.  O 
lovely  humility  —  weeping  penitence! 
What  lowliness,  gentleness,  tender- 
ness, are  here !  She  bows  low,  and 
with  a  full,  a  gushing  heart,  gives  up 
herself  to  Jesus.  There  was  nothinsr 
mean  in  this  service.  Even  Gabriel, 
with  all  his  exaltation  and  holiness, 
would  have  felt  himself  honored  in 
performing  it.  This  is  the  humility  of 
heaven,  and  in  cherishing  it,  there  is 
safety  and  peace.  Lower  than  this. 
my  child,  you  need  not  sink ;  more 
penitent  than  this  you  need  not  feel  in 


34  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

giving  jour  heart  to  God.  And  now, 
have  }  ou  this  humility  ?  Think  a  mo- 
ment. Were  the  Saviour  here,  would 
you  take  a  place  at  his  feet,  and  feel 
yourself  honored  in  doing  it?  Could 
you  without  reluctance  and  without 
blushing,  in  the  presence  of  all  your 
companions,  and  with  a  world  of  sin- 
ners gazing  upon  you,  wash  his  feet 
with  tears,  and  wipe  them,  and  kiss 
them,  from  the  spontaneous  feeling  of 
your  heart  ?  -  If  so,  I  will  proceed, 
and  mention  another  particular  of 
great  importance  in  giving  away  our- 
selves to  Christ. 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         35 


CHAPTER    V. 

FAITH  ESSENTIAL    IN    GIVING    THE    HEART 
TO    GOD. 

"By  faith  ye  stand."  — 2  Cor.  1:  24. 
"  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt 
be  saved."  — Acts  16:  3L 

In  pointing  out  to  jou  the  way  of  sal- 
vation by  Jesus  Christ,  I  remark,  once 
more,  that  you  must  give  up  your 
heart  to  God  in  faith.  Faith  is  trust 
or  confidence  in  God  ;  and  in  giving 
your  heart  to  him,  you  must  so  con- 
fide in  his  power,  truth,  and  willing- 
ness to  save,  that  you  shall  commit 
yourself  entirely  and  unconditionally 
to  his  disposal.  Perhaps  you  will 
see  this  more  clearly  by  the  aid  of 
a    simple     illustration.     A     little     boj 


36  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

awakes  at  midnight,  and  discovers  that 
the  house  in  which  he  is  sleeping  is 
on  fire.  He  leaps  from  his  couch,  and 
opens  the  door,  and  the  flames  rush  in 
upon  him.  He  closes  that,  and  opens 
another,  and  the  flames  rush  in  upon 
him  there  also.  He  closes  that,  and 
looks  to  the  window ;  no  fire  is  there. 
He  opens  it,  and  lo,  his  kind  and 
affectionate  father  stands  upon  the 
firm  ground  helow.  The  father  dis- 
covers his  child  and  exclaims,  "  My 
son,  you  will  be  consumed  in  a  mo- 
ment ;  drop  into  my  arms,  and  I  will 
save  you."  The  boy  knows  that  his 
father  loves  him ;  he  has  always  treat- 
ed him  kindly,  and  been  true  to  his 
word.  He  is  also  a  strong  man,  and 
amply  able  to  save  him.  These  prop- 
erties in  his  father  are  the  foundation 
of  his  faith.  Believing  that  his  father 
will   do   what    he    promises,    he    drops 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         37 


into  his  arms,  and  is  borne  away  to  a 
place  of  safety.  Here  you  see  the  in- 
fluence of  faith.  The  little  boy,  from 
a  knowledge  of  his  father's  character, 
believes  that  he  will  do  what  he  has 
promised,  and,  on  the  strength  of  his 
faith,  drops  into  his  father's  arms,  and 
is  saved.  This  is  giving  up  one's  self 
in  faith.  And  now,  my  dear  child, 
you  are  a  sinner  against  God,  for  you 
have  broken  his  law,  and,  on  that 
account,  are  liable  ev^ery  moment  to 
be  consumed  by  the  flames  of  the  sec- 
ond death.  That  little  boy  awoke; 
and,  when  he  discovered  his  danger, 
he  made  an  effort  to  escape.  He  has- 
tened to  the  window,  the  only  way  of 
escape  ;  and  there  he  saw  his  father, 
with  a  heart  of  compassion  and  arms 
of  love,  ready  to  save  him.  You  also 
must  awake;  and  when  from  the  Bible 
you    discover    your   danger,   you    must 


38  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

make  an  effort  to  escape ;  you  must 
hasten  to  Christ.  Jesus  died  that  you 
might  live  ;  and  God,  for  Jesus'  sake, 
is  ready  to  pardon  and  save  you.  He 
is  able  to  do  it,  for  he  is  almighty ;  he 
is  willing  to  do  it,  for  he  is  full  of 
mercy,  goodness,  and  love ;  he  is  a 
God  of  truth,  and  will  surely  perform 
what  he  promises.  This  God,  so 
great,  so  good,  so  willing  to  save, 
looks  upon  you  with  intense  interest, 
in  all  your  guilt  and  danger,  as  that 
father  did  upon  his  little  son ;  and  with 
all  the  compassion  of  his  infinite  soul, 
he  says  to  you,  "  My  son,  give  me  thy 
heart,  fall  into  my  arms  of  mercy,  for 
you  are  in  danger  of  perishing  ;  do  it 
now,  and  do  it  in  faith,  for  he  that 
b(Tiev('th  shall  be  saved."  You  see 
clearly,  then,  what  you  must  do; 
you  must  believe  in  God,  and  so  be- 
lieve in  him  as  to  cast  yourself  entirely 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         39 

and  unconditionally  into  his  hands,  and 
you  will  be  saved.  Suj)pose,  now,  that 
little  boy  had  not  awaked ;  he  must 
have  perished  in  the  flames.  And  you, 
also,  unless  you  awake  from  the  slum- 
bers of  sin,  must  perish  likewise.  But 
suppose  he  had  awaked,  and  discovered 
his  danger,  and  fled  to  the  window,  and 
heard  his  father,  with  outstretched  arms, 
say  to  him,  "  My  dear  son,  fall  into 
my  arms,  and  I  will  save  you,"  and 
still  refused  to  believe  his  father,  and 
held  on  to  that  burning  house,  he  must 
have  perished  in  the  flames,  notwith- 
standing. It  was  not  enough,  then,  for 
that  little  boy  to  awake,  and  discover 
his  danger,  and  fly  to  the  window,  and 
hear  his  father  say,  with  a  melting 
heart,  "P'all  into  my  arms,  and  1  will 
save  you ; "  all  this  \vas  not  enoii^li ; 
he  must  do  one  thing  more ;  he  must 
believe  his  father,  and  fail  into  his  arms 


40  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

unconditionally,  in  order  to  be  saved. 
And  so  it  is  with  you,  my  child.  It  is 
not  enough  for  you  to  be  awakened, 
and  discover  your  dan»;er,  and  ask 
what  you  must  do  to  be  saved,  and 
even  go  to  God  in  prayer,  and  hear 
him  say,  in  his  AVord,  ''My  son,  give 
me  thy  heart ; "  all  this  is  not  enough ; 
you  must  do  one  thing  more,  and  the 
very  thing  required ;  you  must  believe 
in  God,  and,  in  the  exercise  of  faith, 
cast  yourself  into  your  heavenly  Fa- 
ther's arms. 

Perhaps  you  are  now  ready  to  ask, 
"Are  faith  in  God  and  faith  in  Christ  the 
same ;  and  is  giving  the  heart  to  Christ 
in  faith,  the  same  as  giving  it  to  God?" 
I  reply,  that  faith  in  God  and  faith  in 
Christ  are  essentially  the  same.  The 
Father  and  the  Son  are  two  in  their 
official  work  in  redemption,  but  one  in 
essence,  and  equal  in  power  and  glory. 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         41 

In  giving  your  heart  to  God  the  Father, 
you  give  it  up  to  him  as  your  Creator, 
Preserver,  and  Benefactor ;  and  in  giv- 
ing your  heart  to  Christ  by  faith,  you 
give  it  up  to  him  as  your  Redeemer, 
Intercessor,  and  Judge. 

Perhaps  you  will  better  understand 
what  it  is  to  give  the  heart  to  Christ 
in  faith,  by  the  aid  of  a  sim])le  ilhistra- 
tion.  Suppose  a  child,  who  is  perfectly 
blind,  is  lost  in  a  vast  wilderness;  and 
having  wearied  himself  out  by  fruitless 
efforts  to  find  his  home,  he  at  last  gives 
up  all  for  lost,  and  in  despair  lies  down 
upon  the  earth  to  die.  Just  at  this 
moment,  a  friend,  possessing  every 
possible  excellence,  and  in  whom  lie 
has  the  highest  confidence,  draws  near, 
and  says,  "  My  child,  I  perceive  that 
you  are  in  a  very  perilous  condition  ; 
the  wilderness  is  full  of  enemies,  and, 
if  you  lie  here,  you  will  certainly  die. 


42  A   CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

I  once  had  a  dreadful  conflict  with 
those  your  enemies;  and,  though  I  suf- 
fered much  in  the  conflict,  I  gained  a 
com])lcte  victory  over  them ;  and,  in  the 
conditions  of  peace,  I  required  that  all 
in  this  wilderness,  who  should  be  found 
under  my  protection,  and  with  my 
mantle  resting  upon  them,  should  be 
allowed  to  pass  in  safety.  I  know 
your  father  well,  and  if  you  will  now 
give  me  your  heart  and  hand,  and 
cast  this  my  mantle  about  you,  and 
give  up  yourself  entirely  to  my  direc- 
tion, I  will  conduct  you  safely  to  your 
father's  house."  The  child,  having 
perfect  confidence  in  the  wisdom  and 
uprightness  of  his  friend,  and  in  his 
ability  and  willingness  to  do  what  he 
had  promised,  leaps  from  the  ground, 
and  giving  him  his  heart  and  hand, 
commits  himself  entirely  to  his  protec- 
tion and  guidance.     Here  you  see  the 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.  43 

influence  of  faith.  The  child  first  be- 
lieves that  his  friend  will  save  him, 
and  then  gives  up  himself  entirely  to 
his  direction.  In  the  continued  exer- 
cise of  faith,  he  follows  his  friend  with- 
out anxiety,  going  to  the  right  or  left 
as  he  bids  him,  without  solicitude  for 
ihe  result,  until  he  reaches  his  father's 
house.  You  see  now  how  his  faith 
operated  to  deliver  him  from  his  'for- 
lorn and  wretched  condition.  Had  he 
been  stubborn  or  heedless,  and  refused 
to  believe,  even  the  kindness  of  his 
friend  could  not  have  rescued  him. 
In  an  important  sense,  therefore,  his 
faith  saved  him,  though  he  was  restored 
to  his  home  by  the  power  of  another. 

Now  apply  this  illustration  to  your 
own  case.  You  are  that  lost  child, 
and  sin  has  made  you  blind  to  your 
spiritual  interests.  The  world  is  that 
vast  wilderness  in  which  you  are  wan- 


44  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

dcM-iiif!;;  and  sin,  and  Satan,  and  the  jus- 
tice ot"  God,  are  your  enemies.  Christ 
is  that  Friend  who  comes  to  your  re- 
lief, and  his  righteousness  that  shield 
of  protection.  In  his  bloody  agony, 
and  by  his  sufferings  and  death  upon 
the  cross,  he  sustained  a  dreadful  con- 
flict with  your  enemies ;  and  though  in 
this  conflict  he  lost  iiis  life,  he  procured 
your  ransom.  God  is  your  Father,  and 
heaven  is  that  home  to  which  he  offers 
to  bring  you.  And  now,  my  dear 
child,  Jesus,  the  Friend  of  sinners,  sees 
you  in  your  lost  and  perishing  condi- 
tion, a  wanderer  from  God,  blinded  by 
sin,  in  yourself  helpless  and  hopeless, 
surrounded  by  enemies  and  ready  to 
die.  In  tender  mercy,  he  pities  you 
and  comes  to  your  relief.  He  offers 
to  remove  your  blindness,  to  take  away 
your  sins,  to  shield  you  with  his  own 
righteousness   from  all    the   assaults  of 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         45 

your  enemies,  and  bring  you  home  to 
God  and  to  heaven,  on  the  condition 
that  you  will  cast  away  your  sins,  be- 
lieve in  him,  and  give  uj)  yourself  en- 
tirely to  his  disposal.  These  are  his 
gracious  offers ;  and  will  you,  in  faith, 
accept  themr  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved. 
Of  this  Jesus,  your  Lord  and  vSaviour, 
you  have  read  and  heard  much ;  you 
know  him  well :  you  know  that  he 
possesses  every  possible  excellence ; 
that  he  is  able  and  willing  to  save ; 
that  he  is  true  to  his  word,  and  will 
therefore  perform  all  that  he  promises. 
That  lost  child  believed  immediately, 
and  received  at  once  the  kind  off(T  of 
his  friend.  You  are  that  lost  child, 
and  Jesus  is  your  almighty  and  gra- 
cious Friend.  He  comes  to  save  you; 
he  requires  your  heart  and  iiand,  your 
love    and    obedience,   the    entire    com- 


46  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

niittal  of  your  all  to  him.  If  you  re- 
fuse to  believe,  you  must  die  in  your 
sins.  Before  his  friend  appeared,  you 
saw  no  way  for  that  poor,  lost  child  to 
escape ;  and  there  is  none  for  you  but 
through  faith  in  Jesus.  ''  I  am  the 
door,"  he  says ;  and  you  must  enter 
this  door  by  believing  in  him.  ''  I  am 
the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life," 
he  says;  that  is,  the  true  way  to  eter- 
nal life;  and  you  must  enter  upon  this 
way  by  believing  in  him.  That  child 
believed ;  and  reposed  such  confidence 
in  his  friend,  that  he  followed  him 
without  hesitation,  and  without  anxiety 
as  to  the  result.  And  such  must  be 
your  confidence  in  Jesus,  your  heav- 
enly Friend.  You  must  believe ;  and 
give  up  yourself  to  him,  so  as  to  follow 
him ;  to  feel  as  he  requires,  and  do  as 
he  says.  When  Jesus  tells  you  in  his 
Word  to  repent  and  forsake  your  sins, 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         47 

you  must  do  it.  All  that  God  recjuires 
of  jou  in  his  \V'ord,  your  faith  in  Jesus 
must  lead  you  cheerfully  and  heartily 
to  perform.  This  is  the  faith  which 
purifies  the  heart,  and  saves  the  soul, 
and  in  the  exercise  of  which  there  is 
an  exceeding  great  reward.  That 
blind  child,  when  rescued  from  his 
perilous  condition,  no  doubt  loved  his 
benefactor:  and  so  it  will  be  with  you. 
If  you  give  up  yourself  to  Christ  by 
faith,  you  will  love  him  with  all  the 
heart,  as  your  Lord  and  your  God, 
your  atoning  Priest  and  glorious  King, 
and  in  loving  him  you  will  delight  to 
obey  his  commands. 

If,  now,  you  understand  this  point, 
I  will  proceed,  and  state  another  par- 
ticular evidently  implied  in  giving  up 
yourself  acceptably  to  God. 


48  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 


CHAPTER     VI. 

THE    HEART    MUST    BE    SURRENDERED    TO 
GOD    JOYFULLY. 

"Then  they  that  gladly  received  his  word  were 
baptized."  —  Acts  2:  41. 

"  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  alway ;  and  again  1  say, 
rejoice."  —  Phil.  4:  4. 

In  stating  to  jou,  as  clearly  as  pos- 
sible, the  way  of  salvation  by  Jesus 
Christ,  I  remark  again,  that  you  must 
give  up  your  heart  to  God  joyfully. 
In  the  dedication  of  our  persons  to  our 
heavenly  Father,  as  well  as  our  prop- 
erty, God  loveth  a  cheerful  giver.  If 
you  were  lost  in  a  vast  wilderness, 
and  were  surrounded  by  enemies,  who 
were  ready  to  devour  you,  how  glad 
you  would  be  to  meet  a  beloved  friend 


GIVLNG    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         49 

who  had  power  to  dc^liver  you,  and 
should  kindly  offer  to  lead  you  back 
again  to  your  father's  house,  and  how 
joyfully  would  you  commit  yourself  en- 
tirely to  his  protection  and  guidance. 
Now  God  is  this  kind  friend  ;  and  in 
your  sinful  wanderings  from  him,  he 
meets  you  by  his  Word  and  Spirit,  and 
seeing  you  assailed  by  enemies  within 
and  without,  and  exposed  to  die,  he 
kindly  offers  to  deliver  you,  and  bring 
you  safely  to  a  holy,  peaceful  habita- 
tion in  his  kingdom  above.  When  you 
hear  him  say  to  you  in  his  Word  with 
paternal  tenderness,  *'My  son,  give  me 
thine  heart,"  how  joyfully  should  you 
make  the  surrender,  and  give  him  your 
best  affections,  your  life,  your  all.  He 
well  deserves  the  gift ;  for  he  is  your 
God  and  Father,  a  God  of  loving  kind- 
ness and  tender  mercy,  not  willing 
that    any   should   perish,    but    that   all 


50  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

should  come  to  repentance.  God  takes 
no  pleasure  in  a  reluctant  service ;  he 
will  not  accept  your  heart  until  jou 
can  give  it  to  him  joyfully.  This  is 
all  right,  you  perceive ;  for  you  can  de- 
rive no  happiness  from  serving  God, 
unless  you  serve  him  joyfully.  Pa- 
rents love  to  see  their  children  obey 
them  cheerfully,  and  leap  for  joy  to  do 
what  they  require,  and  so  does  God. 

A  vessel  at  sea  is  wrecked  in  a  tem- 
pest, and  all  on  board  lost  excepting 
one.  This  poor  sailor  clings  to  the 
wreck,  and  is  at  the  mercy  of  the 
waves.  He  is  cold  and  hungry,  and 
every  sea  that  rolls  over  him,  threat- 
ens to  break  his  hold,  and  send  him  to 
the  bottom.  Day  after  day  rolls  away, 
but  no  vessel  comes  to  his  relief.  At 
the  moment  when  he  is  just  ready  to 
give  up  all  for  lost,  he  discovers  a  ship 
at  a  distance,  leaping   over  the  waves, 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         51 


and  directing;  her  course  towards  him. 
As  soon  as  he  discovers  that  ship,  an 
emotion  of  joy  thrills  his  soul ;  and  as 
she  approaches  nearer  and  nearer,  his 
joy  increases.  A  sailor  on  the  watch, 
spies  at  a  distance  a  speck  upon  the 
water,  and  in  a  moment  cries,  "  A 
wreck  ahead,  and  a  man  upon  it." 
This  cry,  bounding  over  the  water, 
comes  to  him  as  life  from  the  dead. 
In  a  moment,  a  boat  is  out,  and,  being 
manned  with  able  seamen,  is  on  her 
way  towards  him.  And  now  his  joy 
increases;  and  as  she  comes  along 
gently  by  his  side,  his  joy  becomes 
unsi)eakable,  and  summoning  up  all  his 
powers,  he  leaps  into  the  boat,  and  is 
borne  away  with  a  joyful  heart  in  safety 
to  the  ship.  Here  you  have  a  lively 
illustration  of  what  it  is  joyfully  to  give 
your  heart  to  God  in  Christ.  You,  my 
dear   child,   as   a   lost   sinner,  are  in  a 


52  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 


perishing  condition,  clinging  to  a  mis- 
erable wreck,  and  liable  to  be  dashed 
by  every  wave.  Christ  is  that  ship ; 
and,  beholding  you  in  a  perishing  con- 
dition, he  comes  to  your  relief.  This 
little  book  is  that  boat  upon  the  water, 
coming  gently  by  your  side  to  assist 
you  in  getting  into  Christ,  the  ark  of 
safety.  The  sailor,  on  the  wreck,  re- 
joiced greatly  when  he  saw  that  ship ; 
and  how^  should  you  rejoice  at  the  name 
of  Jesus,  when  told  that  he  came  into 
this  world  to  seek  and  save  the  lost ; 
that  he  suffered,  and  died,  that  you 
miiiht  live;  that  he  agonized,  and  wept, 
and  bled,  that  you  might  never  die. 
How  should  you  rejoice  to  hear  him 
say,  "  Suffer  little  children  to  come  un- 
to me,  and  foi  bid  them  not ; "  "  Come 
unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  1  will  give  you  rest !  "  The 
sailor  on  the  wreck  rejoiced  exceeding 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         53 

]y,  when  he  saw  that  boat  come  to 
his  relief;  and  how  greatly  should  jou 
rejoice  to  be  assisted  by  the  Bible,  the 
minister  of  Christ,  or  some  good  book, 
in  finding  the  way  to  Jesus,  the  sin- 
ner's friend.  The  sailor  leaped  for  joy, 
when  he  planted  his  foot  upon  that 
noble  ship,  in  expectation  of  being  car- 
ried safely  to  his  country  and  home, 
and  how  exceedingly  should  you  re- 
joice in  committing  yourself  to  Christ, 
the  ark  of  safety,  in  full  expectation  of 
being  carried  safely  to  the  haven  of 
everlasting  rest,  to  that  country  and 
home  where  joy  shall  be  unspeakable 
and  full  of  glory. 

"Here,  Lord,  I  give  myself  away; 
'Tis  all  that  I  can  do." 

As  you  now  see  clearly,  I  trust,  how 
to  give  your  heart  to  God  joyfully,  I 
remark,  once  more,  that,  in  giving  your- 
self to   God,  you    must   cast   yourself, 


54  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 


unconditionally  and  with  the  iiill  con 
sent  of  tlie  heart,  ii|)on  the  sovereigvi 
mercy  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  The 
mercy  of  God  in  Christ  is  your  only 
hope,  and  on  tiiis  you  must  rely  with 
the  full  consent  of  the  heart  for  pardon 
and  eternal  life,  or  you  must  perish. 
You  cannot  give  your  heart  to  God 
reluctantly  or  partially.  If  you  linH;er, 
hesitate,  or  desire  to  make  the  least 
reserve,  he  will  not  accept  it.  He  will 
have  the  whole  of  your  heart,  or  none 
of  it ;  and  have  it  too  with  its  full  con- 
sent. God  is  an  infinite  sovereign, 
and  deserves  the  whole.  He  regards 
a  partial  surrender  as  no  surrender  — 
a  partial  service,  as  no  service.  In 
giving  yourself  to  God,  you  must  not 
make  conditions,  but  accept  cheerfully 
his  own  conditions.  You  must  fall 
with  all  your  heart  into  his  hands,  and 
be    willing   that   he    should   dispose  of 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         55 

jou  according  to  his  sovereign  pleiis- 
ure.  Unconditional  submission  to  the 
will  of  God,  is  the  turning  point  in  jour 
salvation.  Sink  or  swim,  live  or  die, 
you  must  yield  yourself,  with  the  full 
consent  of  the  heart,  to  his  sovereign 
pleasure. 

But,  do  you  ask  how  a  sinner  feels 
when  he  falls  unconditionally  upon  the 
mercy  of  God  ?  I  reply,  he  feels  that 
he  deserves  to  die ;  that  he  is  utterly 
undone ;  that  he  is  m  a  helpless  and 
perishing  condition ;  and,  finding  that 
he  cannot  save  himself,  and  seeing  no 
other  way  of  escape,  he  casts  himself, 
as  his  last  resort,  with  all  his  guilt  and 
helplessness,  entirely  upon  the  mercy 
of  God  in  Jesus  Christ. 

This  is  the  point  to  which  you  and 
every  sinner  must  be  brought,  before 
Christ  will  be  formed  in  the  soul, 
the   hope   of  glory.      You   must   cease 


56  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

from  attempting  to  save  yourself.  Save 
yourself  you  never  ean ;  for  you  are 
utterly  undone.  You  must  renounce 
your  sins,  and  every  earthly  depend- 
enee,  and  cast  yourself  just  as  you  are, 
a  poor,  helpless  sinner,  upon  God's  par- 
doning mercy  in  Jesus  Christ. 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         57 


CHAPTER     VII. 

THE  HEART  MUST  BE  SURRENDERED 
TO  GOD  FOR  ETERNITY. 

God  requires  your  heart,  because  he 
deserves  it ;  and  he  deserves  it  not  for 
a  day,  nor  for  a  year,  nor  during  the 
period  of  your  earthly  existence  merely, 
but  for  a  ivhole  eternity.  God  is  un- 
changeable in  all  his  perfections,  and 
unchangeably  worthy  of  your  strongest 
love,  your  purest  homage,  your  un- 
ceasing gratitude  and  praise.  If  it  be 
rigiit,  that  you  should  glorify  God  in 
loving  and  serving  him  with  all  your 
heart  for  a  single  hour,  it  is  right  that  you 
should  fflorifv  him  bv  lovins:  and  serv- 
ing  him  a  million  hours,  and  throughout 


58  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

eternity  upon  the  same  principle.  The 
consecration  of  yourself  to  God  must 
be  fnial  and  eternal.  In  giving  up 
your  heart  to  Him,  you  take  a  step 
which  you  must  never  retrace ;  you 
make  a  promise  to  love  and  obey  him, 
which  you  must  never  break ;  you  enter 
into  a  covenant,  with  him,  not  to  be 
dissolved,  to  be  his  only,  and  his  for- 
ever. 

When  with  a  reconciled  heart  you 
open  your  eyes  upon  the  holiness  and 
glory  of  God,  you  will  love  him,  be- 
cause you  choose  to  love  him ;  and  as 
you  discover  more  and  more  of  his  in- 
finite excellence,  and  sink  deeper  and 
deeper  into  his  love,  your  desire  will 
become  stronger  and  stronger  to  com- 
prehend, with  all  saints,  what  is  the 
length  and  breadth,  and  dej)th  and 
height   of  his    goodness,  and    to   know 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         59 

the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth 
knowledge,  till  jou  are  filled  with  all 
the  fijiiiess  of  God.  There  is  a  con- 
straining power  in  divine  love,  which 
will  induce  jon  to  forget  the  things 
that  are  behind,  and  urge  jou  forward 
to  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  )our  high 
calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  Going 
back  will  be  out  of  the  question.  Your 
affections  will  be  drawn  towards  God 
your  Saviour,  and  eternity  will  be  short 
enough  to  speak  his  praise.  The  little 
boy,  when  rescued  from  the  flames, 
had  no  desire  to  enter  again  that  burn- 
ing house.  The  rejoicing  sailor,  when 
lodged  safely  in  that  noble  ship,  had 
no  desire  to  return  again  to  that  mis- 
erable wreck.  And  you,  when  born 
again,  when  rescued  from  the  power 
of  sin,  and  animated  with  a  hope  full 
of  immortality,    and    on    your    way    to 


60  A   CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

that  everlasting  kingdom,  that  eternal 
weight  of  glory,  in  the  presence  of 
God  above,  will  have  no  desire  to 
return  back  again  to  the  bondage  of 
corruption,  and  the  gloomy  prospects 
of  an  unpardoned  sinner,  beyond  the 
grave.  The  way  of  holiness  is  pleas- 
ant, and  its  path,  though  upward,  is  a 
path  of  peace.  Ask  the  young  convert 
if  he  wishes  to  go  back,  and  he  w^ll 
tell  you,  No.  Ask  the  aged  Christian, 
almost  ripe  for  heaven,  if  he  wishes  to 
return  back  again  to  a  state  of  impeni- 
tency;  and  with  a  tone  of  unutterable 
surprise,  he  will  answer.  No.  Go 
through  the  ranks  of  the  redeemed 
above,  and  ask  the  countless  multi- 
tudes around  the  throne,  if  they  are 
weary  of  the  service  of  God,  and,  with 
a  voice  loud  as  many  waters,  they  will 
answer.  No.      They  gave   their   hearts 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         61 

to  God  for  a  whole  eternity,  and  eter- 
nity will  be  short  enough  to  enjoy  his 
love,  and  sin^^  his  praise. 

I  have  now,  my  child,  explained  to 
you,  as  clearly  as  I  can,  how  you  must 
give  your  heart  to  God  so  as  to  be  ac 
cepted  of  him,  and  pardoned  and  saved. 
You  must  give  yourself  to  him  deliber- 
ately, affectionately,  penitently,  with  hu- 
mility, in  faith,  joyfully,  icith  the  full 
consent  of  the  heart,  and  for  eternity. 
Do  this,  and  you  will  be  saved. 

I  have  chosen  to  present  the  subject 
under  these  eight  particulars,  that  you 
may  see  clearly  the  different  states  of 
feeling  included  in  the  act  of  conse- 
crating yourself  to  God.  As  you  pass 
along,  step  by  step,  you  can  examine 
yourself  in  each  particular,  and  ascer- 
tain, with  greater  precision,  whether 
you    possess    the    feelings    herein    de- 


62  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

scribed.  Tliis  work  belongs  to  you  ; 
no  other  being  can  do  it  for  jou,  and 
this  work  you  must  do,  relying  u])on 
the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  or 
you  nnust  j)erish  forever.  Submission 
or  death,  is  the  only  alternative.  But 
do  you  ask,  "  When  must  I  give  my  heart 
to  God  ?"  I  reply,  you  must  do  it  noiv^ 
this  moment,  while  you  are  receiving 
instruction  from  this  little  book.  *'  Be- 
hold," says  an  a))ostle,  "  7iow  is  the 
accepted  time ;  behold,  now  is  the  day 
of  salvation."  I  can  give  you  no  other 
instruction;  the  Bible  gives  no  other. 
The  past  is  gone.  You  never  can  go 
back  to  do  this  work.  The  future  has 
not  arrived,  and  to  you  it  may  never 
come  in  a  land  of  mercy.  The  pres- 
ent moment,  the  passing  noio,  is  yours, 
and  given  you  for  the  express  purpose 
of  making  your  peace  with  God.     Im- 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         63 

prove  it,  then,  for  yon  know  not  what  an 
lionr  may  bring-  forth.  A  lovely  yonth 
once  entered  my  room,  and  asked  me 
what  he  shonld  do  to  be  saved  ?  I  told 
him  that  he  mnst  repent  and  bc.'beve 
in  Jesus  immediately;  and,  in  a  word, 
give  his  heart  to  God.  We  knelt  and 
]jrayed,  and  he  left  the  room,  as  I  hoi)e, 
a  believing  penitent.  Shortly  after,  he 
fell  into  the  river,  and  was  drowned, 
and  I  saw  him  no  more.  O  my  child, 
you  know  not  what  a  moment  may 
bring  I'orth.  For  what  is  your  life  ? 
It  is  even  a  vapor,  which  appeareth 
for  a  little  time,  and  then  vanishcth 
away.  Had  tliat  precious  yonth  put 
off.  the  work  of  salvation  to  a  future 
period,  he  mi^ht  have  sunk  down 
through  a  watery  grave  to  a  world  of 
endless  burninir. 

But  do  you  ask,  "  Can  this  great  w^ork 


64  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

be  done  noiv  ? "  I  reply,  it  can,  and 
ought  to  be  done  now,  and,  if  deferred, 
may  not  be  done  at  all.  God  is  ready 
to  pardon,  when  you  are  willing  to  re- 
pent. For  your  encouragement,  I  will 
relate  a  fact.  Some  years  ago,  a  young 
man  came  to  me,  in  great  distress, 
to  inquire  what  he  must  do  to  be 
saved.  He  was  bathed  in  tears,  and 
trembled  in  view  of  his  guilt  as  an  un- 
pardoned sinner  in  the  hands  of  God. 
I  spoke  a  few  words  to  him,  pointing 
him  to  Christ  as  his  only  refuge,  and 
then  we  knelt  down  to  pray.  When 
the  prayer  closed,  he  did  not  rise,  but 
seemed  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of 
his  guilt,  and  cried  for  mercy.  1  prayed 
again ;  we  then  rose  from  our  knees, 
and  sat  down  together  upon  the  sofa, 
but  the  work  was  not  done.  I  then 
asked,  "Do  you  wish  to  be  a  Christian 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         65 

now?"  '«0,  I  do."  "Are  you  will- 
iiii::  to  submit  now?"  "I  think  1  am." 
"  Will  you  give  your  heart  to  God, 
as,  with  divine  assistance,  1  attempt  to 
point  out  the  way  ?  "  "  I  will  try  to 
do  it."  I  then  described  to  him,  step 
by  step,  as  I  have  done  to  you,  what 
is  implied  in  giving  the  heart  to  God, 
asking  him  in  each  particular,  "  Do 
you  feel  thus?"  "I  think  I  do." 
Having  finished  my  remarks,  and  per- 
ceiving that  a  change  had  taken  place 
in  his  feelings,  I  asked  again,  "  Are 
you  reconciled  to  God  ?  "  "  I  am," 
he  rephed.  His  agitation  now  ceased, 
and  he  appeared  most  sweetly  subdued 
and  cahn.as  a  summer's  evening.  He 
now  wiped  away  his  tears,  and  ap- 
peared like  a  new  man,  humble  and 
penitent  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  I  was 
persuaded  that  he  was  born  again,  and 


66  A     CHILD     ASSISTED     IN 

had  passed  from  death  unto  life,  by 
my  side,  uj)on  tlKit  sofa.  O,  it  was  a 
solemn  moment !  The  Holy  Ghost  was 
there,  and  made  the  spot  like  the  place 
between  the  cherubim  of  glorj^  I  can 
never  forget  it.  The  young  man  left 
the  room  with  a  hope  in  Jesus,  and 
went  on  his  w^ay  rejoicing.  He  hae 
been  for  years  a  professed  follower  of 
the  Saviour,  and  by  a  life  of  humble 
piety,  has  proved  satisfactorily  that  he 
then  and  there  gave  his  heart  to  God. 

Do  you  now  ask  why  you  should 
give  your  heart  to  God?     I  reply, 

1.  Because  he  requires  it.  This 
reason,  if  no  other  existed,  would  be 
sufficient.  God  is  a  being  of  infinite 
exc(^llence.  He  created  you  for  him- 
self. He  has  endowed  you  with  all 
your  noble  powers  of  thought  and  feel- 
ing, that  you  may  love  and  enjoy  him 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.          67 

forever.  He  knows  what  you  are,  and 
what  you  ought  to  be,  through  the 
whole  period  of  your  endless  existence. 
From  this  perfect  knowledge  of  your 
duty  and  destiny,  your  wants  and  lia- 
bilities, he  requires  your  heart.  His 
claims  are  absolute  and  righteous.  He 
gave  you  being,  and  upholds  you  in 
existence  every  day.  He  has  fed  and 
clothed  you,  and  watched  over  you  with 
more  than  paternal  tenderness  and  care. 
He  has  given  his  Son  to  die  for  you, 
and  his  Holy  Spirit  to  renew  and  sanc- 
tify your  heart.  He  has  given  you  his 
holy  Bible,  and  Sabbath  and  friends 
to  instruct  you.  He  has  surrounded 
you  with  loving  kindness  and  tender 
mercy ;  and,  in  return  for  all  this,  he 
requires  your  heart,  your  supreme  and 
constant  love,  and  your  cheerful  obe- 
dience.    And   can    you    refuse   it  ?     Is 


68  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

tliis  too  much  to  give  to  God,  joiir  Fa- 
tlicr,  vour  Creator,  and  lieaveuly  King  ? 
O,  no;  your  whole  heart  is  not  too 
much  for  God  to  receive,  or  for  you  to 
give.  .  Should  he  require  less,  it  would 
prove  your  ruin. 

2.  It  is  reasonable  that  you  should 
give  up  your  heart  to  God.  It  is  a  dic- 
tate of  reason,  that  you  should  eat  and 
drink,  and  work,  and  take  care  of  your 
body ;  and  is  it  not,  in  a  far  higher 
sense,  a  dictate  of  reason,  that  you 
should  take  all  possible  care  of  the  un- 
dying soul,  which  thinks,  and  feels,  and 
acts,  and  which  will  be  unspeakably 
happy  or  wretched,  to  all  eternity,  ac- 
cording as  you  receive  or  reject  the 
offers  of  grace  ?  Now,  in  giving  your 
heart  to  God,  your  hungry  soul  begins 
to  feed  upon  the  bread  of  life,  of  which, 
if  a   man   eat,    he    shall   live   forever ; 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         69 

your  thirsty  spirit  begins  to  drink  the 
water  of  salvation,  of  which,  if  a  man 
drink,  he  shall  never  thirst,  but  have 
in  him  a  well  of  water,  springing  up 
into  everlasting  life.  In  giving  your 
heart  to  God,  you  begin  to  work  out 
your  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling, 
while  God  works  in  you  to  will  and 
to  do  of  his  good  pleasure.  In  giving 
your  heart  to  God,  you  obey  your 
heavenly  parent ;  and,  in  keeping  his 
commands  there  is  great  reward;  —  a 
great  reward  of  peace,  hope,  and  con- 
solation, in  the  present  life;  and  of  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,  in  the 
paradise  and  presence  of  the  eternal 
God. 

3.  The  plan  of  redemption  was  de- 
vised and  executed,  that  you  might  give 
your  heart  to  God,  and  glorify  him  by 
an  obedient  and  holy  life.     Shall  it  be 


70  A    CHILD    ASSISTED    IN 

in  vain  to  joii,  my  child,  that  God 
loved  the  world,  and  Jesus  died  for  it, 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  given 
to  convince  of  sin,  and  the  Bible  and 
Sabbath  given  to  aid  you  in  securing 
salvation  ?  Shall  it  be  in  vain  to  you, 
that  the  Word  of  God  is  filled  with 
warnings  and  invitations,  entreaties  and 
commands,  to  induce  you  to  live  hence- 
forth, not  unto  yourself,  but  unto  Him 
who  died  for  you,  and  rose  again  ? 
Shall  ministers  preach,  and  Christians 
pray,  and  religious  books  be  placed  in 
your  hands,  to  no  purpose  ?  O,  yes ; 
all  this  array  of  power  and  goodness, 
of  mercy  and  love,  will  be  to  you  ut- 
terly in  vain,  if  you  withhold  your  heart 
from  God. 

4.  You  must  perish  forever,  unless 
you  cheerfully  comj)ly  with  the  requi- 
sition, "  My  son,  give  me  thine  heart.'* 


GIVING    THE    HEART    TO    GOD.         71 

Heaven  is  a  holy  place,  and  no  im- 
penitent heart  will  ever  enter  that  bliss- 
ful habitation.  God  has  settled  the 
question,  that  you  must  repent  or  per- 
ish; that  you  must  yield  yourself  unto 
him,  a  willing  sacrifice,  holy  and  ac- 
ceptable, or  you  must  die.  Our  Saviour 
declares,  "  that  except  ye  repent,  ye 
shall  all  likewise  perish."  "He  that  be- 
lieveth  not,  shall  be  damned."  These 
are  some  of  the  reasons  why  you  should 
immediately  give  your  heart  to  God. 
They  are  weighty  and  solemn  reasons, 
and  deserve  your  most  serious  and 
prayerful  attention.  Life  and  death, 
blessing  and  cursing,  are  now  set  before 
you.  Choose  life,  that  your  soul  may 
live.  Reason,  revelation,  and  provi- 
dence, truth,  obligation,  and  happiness, 
like  a  cloud  of  living  witnesses,  all  give 
in  their  testimony,  that  your  Heavenly 


72  A    CHILD    ASSISTED. 

Father   ought  to  be  obeyed  and  loved 
bj  you  without  delay. 

I  now  commend  you  to  God,  and 
the  word  of  his  grace,  hoping  and 
praying  that  you  will  repent  and  live, 
and  be  found  at  last  among  those 
who  "  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of 
the  firmament,  and  as  the  stars,  for 
ever  and   ever." 


^CSB   LIBRARY 


000  007  890 


